“We were both so excited,” Damian says, “we decided to make it a full-length album. It was Marley’s manager Dan Dalton who suggested they get back in the studio to record an EP and the rest, as they say, is history. Gong’s Grammy-winning classic Welcome to Jamrock. The artists first discovered their creative chemistry while recording the track “Road to Zion,” which appeared on Jr. “That’s the way Jah planned it,” said Damian when I asked how the project came together during a recent chat aboard the most recent Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise. “My man’ll speak patois,” Nas rhymes, “and i can speak rap star.” He concluded his verse with a Swahili greeting “Habari gani,” to which Damian replied “Nzuri sana,” as if they were two friends chatting on the streets of Nairobi. It’s the best hip-hop record of the year so fara bright, richly cultured work that shares more in common with Amadou & Mariam than Cam. In the lead single “As We Enter,” Nas and D trade intricate bars over a Mulatu Astatke breakbeat. Teaming with politically minded reggae yelper Damian Marley (the brains behind the stunning, misanthropic 2005 single Welcome to Jamrock), Nas delivers the work of a lifetime with Distant Relatives. But in 2010 the idea of a rapper from Queensbridge and a dancehall DJ from Kingston was a forward-thinking concept-though hardly out of character for two sons of respected musicians who had been raised with a deep and abiding respect for African culture. A decade later, the wide-ranging genre known as “Afro Beats” occupy a place of power within the global music market, and artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Stonebwoy are well known to listeners all over the world.
Album DescriptionDescribed by The New York Times as “A Mash Up on Behalf of Mother Africa,” Distant Relatives was constructed around a diverse array of samples, ranging from classic reggae to dancehall/hip hop to Ethiopian jazz. Your browser does not support the audio element.
It’s a royal and a striking reminder of why these two artists have reached legendary status. Distant Relatives is this African contradiction explored further with hip-hop, dancehall, and by way of samples, jazz, and African music showing the way. The magical moment that explains it all comes in the form of an old Dennis Brown interview which is sampled for “Land of Promise.” Answering the question “What do you think of Africa?” Brown replies “Just to mention of it man, is like, you call mi name man” in a voice that displays a whirlwind of emotions, from the very best to the very worst. The majestic “Strong Will Continue” marches forth with a positive spiritual message, while “Count Your Blessings” is musically akin to Damian’s Bobby Brown collaboration “Beautiful” and father Bob's’s “One Love” lyrically.
On the track, guest K’Naan offers the provocative “I drink poison/Then I vomit diamonds” while the devastating “Leaders” features Nas’ “Malcolm on the podium/Shells drop to linoleum/Swipe those/Place them on display on the Smithsonian.” Still, there’s much more hope and pride here than anger and darkness. Rapidly trading the lines (Nas): "I’ve got the guns"/(Damian): "I’ve got the Ganja"/(Nas): "And we can blaze it up on your block if you wanna” just raises the excitement level to a “Welcome to Jamrock” or “Nas Is Like,” but when the following “Tribes at War” creates a cinematic big picture of Africa crumbling while its people are unwillingly scattered across the globe, the album turns compelling. Actually, it all comes together in the album’s first few seconds as Marley and Nas loop a sample of Ethiopian jazzman Mulatu Astatke for “As We Enter”’s effective and infectious beat. The Nas and Damian Marley collaboration Distant Relatives came together as a way to earn money for schools in Africa, but before any corny “charity album” misconceptions get in the way, know that this is one purposeful monster and a conceptional bull's eye that fully supports its title.
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